Typhoid Fever Symptoms And Treatments

We all know about the infamous Typhoid Mary who avoided soap and water like the plague, if you pardon the pun. Anyway, Mary’s lack of hygiene raised havoc in New York in the early 1900′s. Typhoid fever, caused mainly by contaminated water is a bacterial illness caused by the bacterium called Salmonella typhi. It is highly common in unclean areas when people do not have the habit of washing their hands frequently.

The typhoid symptoms  are much like influenza. Fever, headache, back-ache, loss of appetite, chilliness with occasional nose-bleed, diarrhea or constipation are the common complaints. When these conditions continue for a length of time typhoid is suspected. The most common symptoms of typhoid fever besides those mentioned above are stomach pain, chills, weakness, fatigue and slow heart rate. Antibiotics are used to kill the bacteria but of late, antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria are developing making the treatment protocol more difficult.

Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. In most cases S. typhi is released into the environment via feces from carriers. Such raw waste can contaminate water and food due to lack of proper waste management, poor sanitation, and poor personal hygiene. A study in the British Journal, Lancet (January 8, 1994 343:83-84), shows that people who carry typhoid fever germs in their gall bladders are at increased risk for developing cancers, even though they may have no symptoms whatever.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes over 250 different types of food-borne pathogens, with salmonella being one of the most common. Salmonella may seem like an average type of food poisoning symptoms, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The majority of food borne Salmonella infections are not life threatening. The most serious effect of poisoning is intense diarrhea. It can, however, be deadly to certain at risk segments of the population such as:

Perhaps one of the least lethal diseases on this list, the fatality rate of typhoid fever is only 10-30 percent. But the symptoms show up in stages over a period of three weeks and, in most cases, are not fatal.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says there are about 300 cases of typhoid fever in the United States every year, the majority resulting from international travelers. Unlike other insects, flies don’t bite but their bark is a lot worse for they can transmit many serious diseases. This usually occurs when they alight on animal and human feces and carry germs to food and water.

The information contained in this report has been compiled mainly from web-pages available on-line from the U.S. Center For Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Other sources are available on the internet and credited at the end of the report. The two plagues, cholera and typhoid fever, were destroyed but two more plagues, cancer and heart disease, were created. These newest epidemics started shortly after we first introduced bleach into the water we drink, bathe in, and cook with. Drinking water supplies are prone to contamination with sewage or other excreted matter may cause outbreaks of intestinal infections such as typhoid fever.

About the Author

Read about internet forum. Also read about linkshare forum and macromedia dreamweaver forum.

fever headache stabbing stomach pain diarrhea

Be Sociable, Share!

•